


Stand My Ground

by Winmance



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, John Winchester's A+ Parenting, Teenagers, Witch Dean Winchester, Witch Sam Winchester, Witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-12
Updated: 2019-04-12
Packaged: 2020-01-12 06:39:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18441107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Winmance/pseuds/Winmance
Summary: Sam and Dean Winchester; the last heirs of the Winchester and Campbell family; the result of the alliance of the most powerful families, the future of the magic world. By the age of ten, Dean had already developed more powers than most of the witches.When Sam turned thirteen, it was evident that the reason none of his powers had manifested was because he didn’t have any.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Gencest Big Bang [Gencest Big Bang](https://gencestbang.tumblr.com/).   
> Beta by debivc78 and [interstitial](https://archiveofourown.org/users/interstitial/works)
> 
> Amazing art done by [interstitial](https://archiveofourown.org/users/interstitial/works) , who not only did this masterpiece but also beta my fic. Couldn't dream of a better collab ! [Here's a link to her art masterpost](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18441248), make sure to leave her kuddos!

                                                [](https://ibb.co/161BHBt)****~~~~

"Sammy boy, time to wake up," Dean calls to his brother as he enters his room.

Sam groans in annoyance, rolling himself in his blanket like a burrito and hiding his head under it, refusing to look at Dean.

Maybe if he hides long enough, Dean will forget about him and he won’t have to go to this stupid school. Living under a blanket doesn’t seem to be the worst thing that could happen to him, all things considered.

He almost believes his plan is successful until he feels a heavy weight pressing on him, pinning him down on the bed.

“Deeean!” He complains, even though he’s already laughing. “You’re crushing me!”

“Blankets don't talk, Sammy!” Dean says, laying down with all his weight on Sam.

Sam tries to get away from his grip, but Dean is too strong for him.  He’s not even sure Dean can feel him moving.

“Fine, I’ll get up,” he sighs. “Get off of me now!”

Dean doesn’t need to be told twice, rolling off the bed, laughing. When Sam gets his head out of hiding, his brother is still lying next to him, a stupid grin on his face. God, how he wants to slap that smile away.

“Well, you can do that, but only with a kiss.”

“Don’t read my thoughts!” Sam orders, slapping his brother on the chest.

“Don’t think so loud then!”

Sam groans again, letting the blanket fall off of him as he starts walking toward the bathroom. He hates when Dean does that. When he slides inside his mind and reads all his secrets and emotions. It’s not fair and not right. It’s a violation of his privacy, plain and simple, and Dean had sworn he wouldn’t do it anymore after he learned to control it, but here they are.

“I’m sorry,” Dean mewls from the other side of the room. “I didn’t do it on purpose, you know how it is.”

“No, I don’t!” he snaps, putting his music on so he won’t have to listen to his brother anymore.

He doesn’t need powers to know that right now, Dean is crushed by the guilt. Sam almost feels bad for him, knowing full well that his brother didn’t mean to be an asshole, but his anger and anxiety take over.

The history of their family goes back from before the Middle Ages, some people even speculating that it all started before fire was discovered. The Winchesters were living in London, while the Campbells were in America. Two different continents, two different types of life, but one heavy secret joining them. The precursors of magic. The ancestors of the new world, a better world, a more powerful one.

The Campbell and Winchesters weren’t the first and only witches, of course, but they were the most powerful. They stood up for their kind, they fought and died for their world, for their true nature. But the Inquisition resulted in hundreds of witches burned alive in front of their families and friends, forced to die in pain and to endure an eternity of torture in Hell.

That’s when the Grand Coven was created.

Before being a place to learn, it was also a place to hide. A sanctuary for the witches, a hidden place that no human could see, where no witches were burned or humiliated, all put in place by Abaddon Winchester herself.

Elise Campbell came quickly thereafter, and soon enough, the two families were running the magic world hand in hand. Their pure bloodline made them the most powerful of all witches. Legend has it that Abaddon Winchester could control time itself, able to travel from place to place, time to time, as much as she liked. Elise Campbell could resurrect the dead and heal the sick. But there were rumors of her also dabbling in dark magic.

Both of the women already had three children when they started the Grand Coven, but time and war reduced the witch population to a few families.  And even then many of their children and grandchildren died inexplicably. It was whispered it was a curse, but if so, no one knew how to even begin to break it. They would have to wait for a few more generations until their two families became one, before any of their questions were answered.

John Winchester and Mary Campbell.

Their wedding was celebrated for days. The two heirs of the Magic World, coming together to rebuild the family into the dynasty it once was.

They had two sons, only four years apart. Soon, the sadness that had plagued the Grand Coven for years began to fade away, leaving in its place, joy and hope.

Then came the night flames started to appear from the Winchesters house; so big that they could reach the sky, and so powerful that no spell could contain them.

Mary Winchester, last heir of the Campbell family, had died, burned alive like so many witches before her.

There was no doubt that the fire was supernatural, and quickly the thought of an invisible enemy started growing in everyone's minds. John started training the students and his own sons for the war that was sure to come.

Sam and Dean Winchester; the last heirs of the Winchester and Campbell family; the result of the alliance of the most powerful families, the future of the magic world. By the age of ten, Dean had already developed more powers than most of the witches: telekinesis, speed, and blue magic. Blue magic was one of the most powerful and rare kind of magic, capable of healing and killing, only two Campbells had it before, the power manifesting itself after puberty.

They discovered Dean had it when he was only eight and Sam had fallen down the stairs, his head bleeding and his right arm completely broken. Powers sometimes manifest when someone is in a lot of pain or angry. In Dean's case, staring at his crying little brother was his breakthrough. He healed Sam in less than five minutes, and as he pushed the last of Sam's tears away with his thumbs, promised him that he would never, ever let him get hurt again.

John had never been prouder than that day. For the first time in years, he spent the whole day with his kids, praising Dean and showing him to everyone like a trophy. Not once did he check on Sam to see if he was ok, or to ask how he got hurt in the first place. It didn’t matter. What did matter was that he now had a new weapon to defeat whoever he was fighting.

By the age of ten, none of Sam’s powers had manifested.

Dean tried to reassure him by telling him that powers are only supposed to come during puberty, but Sam could see how his dad would look at him, pity and disappointment in his eyes.

When Sam turned thirteen, it was evident that the reason none of his powers had manifested was because he didn’t have any.

“I made you pancakes,” Dean says proudly as Sam sits at the table.

Sam gives him a quick smile before taking one, cutting a little slice of it and shoving it into his mouth without even chewing on it.

“Dad's not here?”

He can see the way Dean tenses up, his fingers suddenly curling harder around his glass while his eyes go a little darker. If it was anyone else in front of Dean, they wouldn’t have noticed. But they’ve been around each other way too long for Sam to miss any of his brother's expressions, even the most subtle. Sometimes, they’re not even standing in the same room and they can feel each other feelings, each other needs.

 Bobby said that they have a connection, a bond between their souls that ties them for eternity. Sam doesn’t see any magic in his relationship with his brother. Only a shitty childhood and an absent father. But the thought of being bound to Dean still gives him a weird feeling in his stomach.

“No, he had to leave. But he told me to wish you good luck”

“Did he?” Sam asks, lifting an eyebrow.

“Well, I mean, he thought it.”

Sam wants to call him out for his obvious bullshit, but he doesn’t. As mad as he is at their dad, Dean is only trying to reassure him. He doesn’t want to pick a fight with him today.

The rest of the breakfast goes without a word, Sam too caught in his anxiety to even open his mouth and talk. Dean must know it because he doesn’t try to engage in conversation, simply letting his foot rub against Sam legs gently.

“Come on sweetheart, the bus is here.”

There’s a hole forming in Sam’s stomach, swallowing every last bit of braveness he ever had, making him want to lay on the floor and never see anyone again. Everything is too hot, too big and too wrong. He doesn’t want to go. He can’t go. What’s the point? He’s not even a witch!

“I don’t want to go,” He finally says, looking at the door. “I- I can’t, Dean. Please don’t make me go.”

He gives Dean is best puppy eyes, hoping that maybe it will make him change his mind and that he will let Sam stay home. It’s not that bad, is it? He’s sure he can find something else to do, something that doesn’t involve magic or going to this stupid Coven.

“I'll be there,” Dean simply says. “It’s gonna be fine, alright?”

“Do we have to live there?” He asks, even thought he knows the answer.

Dean simply offers him a sad smile before pulling him into his arms, rubbing small circles on his back . Sam closes his eyes, taking in the smell of his brother and holding him closer, trying to melt into him.

“I'll be there,” Dean repeats. “And I’ll know if anything happens to you. You hear me? Anything. I know it’s stressful, but you have nothing to be scared of. You’re a Winchester!”

“Not much of a Winchester,” Sam murmurs.

“Enough to be my little brother,” he says, letting go of him. “Come on, the bus is gonna leave without us."

They leave their house, their bags on their shoulders, and Sam takes one last look at their home, a heavy feeling in his stomach.


	2. Chapter 2

Dean closes the door of their house just as the sleek black bus full of students stops in front of them.

Sam's seen the bus a million times, but it never seemed so scary. Dean was ten when he joined the Coven, and Sam used to run after him and hug him with everything he had, begging him to stay home with him for the day.

Unlike others students, Dean didn’t have to stay at the Coven during the week—at least not at first—since someone had to take care of Sam. Once Sam turned twelve though, their father decided that he was old enough to stay alone, and Dean had to stay at the Coven with the other students.

Maybe it’s the only good thing to come out of this mess. From now on, Dean and him won’t spend an entire day without seeing each other.

“Come on, let’s get it over with,” Sam whispers to himself, holding his bag tighter.

Dean enters the bus first, to a wave of cheerful greetings. Of course his brother is loved. Why wouldn’t he be? Not only is he good looking and  talented in magic, but he’s also funny as hell, and nice to everyone.

Dean sits in the back of the bus, with all the cool students, while Sam stands awkwardly behind him, unsure of where to sit. The back of the bus is obviously for the senior and cool kids, two things he isn’t.

He starts looking for kids his age, and he’s not surprised to find most of them already forming a group.

Kids aren't forced to grow up in the magic world. Some of them, even if it’s only a short time, spend their childhood in the human world among other non-magical kids. That was Sam and Dean's case. Their father wanted them to be with humans, so they could learn better about how they live and how they think. Sam thinks he was also scared that whatever killed their mom was waiting for him and Dean in the Coven, but their father never voiced it out loud.

For kids who are either too young or simply don't manifest any powers, there is a normal school in the magic world. According to Dean, there's not a lot of difference between it and the Coven school, except for all use of magic being banned on the campus.

Still, it gave kids an alternative to the Coven school, which non-magic kids from magic families can attend if they want.  It allows them to study magic from an outside prospective and better learn how to defend against magical attacks as well as how to help hide magic from being discovered by the "real" world.  Non-magic kids who attend Grand Coven school go on to a variety of jobs that helped the magic world from the other side; from simple hunters and research assistants to lawyers who defended witches accused of crimes in the non-magic world.

Sam would really have loved to be back at the normal school right now. He doesn’t want to follow Dean like a lost puppy, and even if Dean wouldn’t say anything, he knows Dean wants to be alone with his friends for a while.

“You can sit here,” Someone says to him.

Sam turns to face the boy who talked to him, a shy smile on his face. There’s a girl sitting next to him, and there’s no doubt in Sam’s mind that they are twins, given how alike they look.

“I’m Max,” the teen says, “and this is my sister, Alicia.”

“Hi,” Sam whispers, his throat suddenly dry, “I’m Sam.”

“Sam Winchester, right?” Max says a little too excitedly. “I’ve read everything about your family”

“Yeah,” He says, shifting awkwardly.

He feels like a fraud every time someone mentions his family. He’s supposed to be like them, a powerful witch. To be proud of his legacy. But the only thing he loves about his family is that he gets to be Dean's brother.

“Leave him alone, Max,” Alicia says.

“Today is stressful enough without you being a dick.”

“I wasn’t a dick! I just wanted to talk.”

“It’s ok,” Sam hurries to say, his cheeks burning with embarrassment. So much for trying not to be noticed.

“Sorry about him,” Alicia says. “So uh, you know about the roommate thing?”

“The roommate thing?” He frowns, not following her.

“Yeah, we’re supposed to have three students to a room. Max and I really want to be with each other, but if we don’t find a third person, we'll be split in two different rooms. Would you like to come with us?”

“Oh, uh, I-“ Sam looks over at Dean on the other side of the bus. He seems to be having a lot of fun, a huge smile on his face as he tells them a story. Sam wants to sleep in the same room as Dean, he really does. But most of all wants, he wants Dean to be as happy as he can be. “Yeah, sure.”

“Awesome!” Alicia says, shooting a smile to her brother.

They spend the rest of the drive talking about anything but magic, for which Sam is really grateful. The last thing he wants is to have to explain that no, despite being a Winchester and a Campbell, he doesn’t have any powers.

The Coven is the biggest, most beautiful thing he's ever seen. It never seems to end, miles of walls surrounding the land, towers standing proudly on it, watching every move of every student. There are statues all around it, representing the witches that burned on the pyres, giving them the respect they deserved, frozen in the grey marble, except for the shining heart made of gemstone.

“It’s beautiful,” Max says, “Can you believe your ancestors actually made this? All of this?” 

“Yeah, that’s… Cool,” Sam replies, the same old feeling building in his stomach. He doesn’t belong here, and all this greatness, and this pride, it doesn’t belong to him.

“Hey Sammy,” Dean says, sliding next to Sam and slipping his arm around his shoulders. “How was the ride?”

“Great.”

“Awesome! So, we need to choose a room but there’s this three roommates rule thing, I wanted to ask Chad but he’s kind of weird.”

“Actually, I was wondering if I could share a room with someone else? The twins asked me to, and I kind of said yes already.”

“You don’t want to share a room with me?” Dean asks, a little taken aback by Sam's confession.

“I do! You know I do. But if I’m gonna get past the next, what, eight or ten years here, maybe I should get friends.”

Dean stops walking, biting on his lips while holding Sam in place.

“You’re not doing that for me, are you?”

“Of course not!”

 _Stop thinking. Stop thinking. Stop thinking._ Sam orders himself, trying his best to shut off his mind. Years with a telepathic brother have taught him one thing: Dean can only hear what he allows him to hear.

“Ok,” Dean says after a while, “but if you change your mind, just tell me.”

“Sure.”

Dean gives him one last pat on the shoulder before letting go of him, rejoining his friends who are already a few steps in front of them.

One day, their dad told Sam that sometimes, loving someone also means allowing them to go, even if it hurts. He never really understood what it meant, but as he stares at Dean laughing with his friends, he gets it a little better.

~

The inside of the Coven is somehow even more impressive than the outside, the light almost non-existent, darkness taking over the place. They say that there used to be big windows everywhere, allowing the sun to shine though and warming the rooms even during the coldest winters.  The Coven was the most beautiful place on earth, full of color and happiness. But more than that, the Coven was made in the image of Abaddon and Elise, and as bright as their souls were, the tragic destiny of their heirs quickly took over. Even now, decades later, no one is really sure of what happened, the rumors getting more elaborate as time goes by.

Abaddon's family had arranged her marriage before her fourth birthday, and while she could have ended up with an abusive husband, like so many did before her, she was lucky enough to find someone who shared her open mind. She had her first child when she was only fifteen, and by the time the Coven was made, she was already in her twenties with the family portrait showing two more children holding her oldest daughter's hand.

When Felicia, their first child, turned sixteen, both Abaddon and her husband Hector agreed that they wouldn’t force their daughter into an arranged marriage. She was free to be young, free to study and learn, to prepare herself to continue her mother’s legacy once she was gone.

But one year after her sixteen birthday, she was lying on a bed, her mother by her side while Elise Campbell and three others witches helped her deliver her first born. They said that when a child was about to come, life in the whole Coven would stop, everyone waiting patiently for the first screams of the child to break into the night, to celebrate the birth of a new generation of witches. A child born from a power stronger than any of them, love.  But this night, instead of hearing the baby cry, their heard screams of distress, coming from every women present in the room.

They thought the baby had been born dead; a tragic accident all too common for that time.

But they’d all been wrong.

The baby was breathing, strong and robust, but it wasn’t a child.  More monster than human the rumor said that it had the teeth of a snake, a twisted and deformed body, and eyes so big that they nearly crowed out the nose and mouth.

They thought about a curse. They thought about poison, that someone might have put in Felicia's food. They thought about a disease, a test from God or Satan.

In the end, the reason didn’t matter.

Marcus Winchester died two nights after his birth, and while Abaddon was still grieving her grandchild, her daughter hanged herself in the nursery room, refusing to live without her child, and the memory of the monster she created.

Abaddon could have withdrawn into her sadness, but she didn’t, choosing to use it as a weapon instead of a weakness.

And that’s where the story starts to change, depending on who tells it.

In one version, Hector Winchester was just another man incapable of dealing with his wife's power. Abaddon was strong. More powerful than any other person who ever walked the earth, and for that, he despised her. That’s why he put a spell on his own grandson, to create a witch stronger than Abaddon and Elise together. A boy, capable of carrying his name and perpetuating his legacy. But Hector was no witch, and magic is dangerous in mortal hands.

In another, he had secretly married his daughter to a creature who appeared human, but was not. The child was simply a result of the mix of different species.

Some say he sold his grandson’s soul to the devil, for a reason known by no one but himself.

The most scandalous tale was that the child was the fruit of incest, which is why Felicia never revealed who the child's father was.

But in the end it didn’t really matter.

All that did, was that on a full moon night, Hector Winchester was burned alive. Resurrected, healed and burned again.  Seven times.

Elise couldn’t bring Felicia back to life due to a spell that Felicia had put on herself before committing suicide, but she could bring Hector back to life and let Abaddon kill him over and over again.

After that, the Coven changed and the light within it began to disappear. Families started moving out, building houses of their own, away from the main palace. The memories of a young girl driven mad with grief after giving birth to a monster and the sadness that surrounded her grieving mother were just too much for people to deal with.  That’s when the Coven went from a place to live to a place to study.

“We need to hurry,” Max says, pushing Sam deeper in the line. “If we’re not here first, they’re gonna give us the stinking room.”

Sam frowns but does as he is told, making his way through the line until he ends up in front of the housing assignment desk, an old lady writing on a paper without looking at him.

“Next?”

“Sa—“

“Brad Levis.”

Sam turns his head to face the boy who cut in front of him, but doesn’t say anything. He'd noticed him earlier on the bus, talking louder than anyone else, probably in an attempt to get some attention. He’s tall, taller than Sam, with dark hair and even darker eyes. He has the attitude of someone who knows everything better and who won’t hesitate to throw the first punch.

“We were here first,” Max points out,

“Too bad,” Brad says with a smirk, going back from Max to Sam.

Sam swallows hard, knowing that Brad is only waiting for them to say something else before starting trouble. He knows people like Brad are the ones who are thirsty for attention and for any kind of fight. There’s no point in fighting him, it will only lead in more problems for Sam later on.

“It’s ok, Max,” he whispers. “Look, it’s our turn now.”

He can see that Max wants to protest, but Alicia puts her hand on his arm and his posture changes immediately, without even having to look at her. Do they have the same connection as Dean and him? They're twins, so it would probably make sense.

“Name?” the lady asks, apparently not perturbed by the scene in front of her.

“Alicia and Max Banes,” Alicia says.

“You?” she asks after writing their names.

“Sam Winchester.”

This time, she looked up, at the same time as a few students around him turn their heads to look at him. So much for not getting attention.

“Room number 46,” she finally says, giving them the key.

“It says 80 on the paper,” Max says, pointing out the obvious mistake.

“Yes, but it was requested that Mr. Winchester sleep in ~~the~~ room 46. Now, if you have a problem with that—“

“We don’t,” Alicia hurries to say, taking the key before giving the lady her best smile. “Have a nice day.”

They make their way toward the room by following the map they were given on the bus, Max and Alicia arguing the whole way. Alicia and Max seem to be total opposites: Max doesn’t have any restraint, always saying whatever is on his mind, while Alicia thinks over every word before it comes out of her mouth.

“Do you know why they put us here?” Alicia asks, opening the door. “I mean, it kind of looks like any other room?”

“I think I know why,” Sam says, sliding onto the bed and knocking three times against the wall, much to the twins’ confusion.

He doesn’t have to wait more than a few seconds before Dean appeared on their door step, giving one quick look at Alicia and Max before jumping on the bed next to Sam.

“Hey kiddo,” He says. “How’s everything going?”

“Same as an hour ago,” Sam replies with an eye roll.

Dean shoves him until he falls on the bed, his body not even trying to resist his brother.

“Don’t do that!” He complains, sitting up again. “You suck.”

“Yeah, well, you suck more.”

Sam rolls his eyes again but doesn’t reply, choosing instead to start unpacking. Max and Alicia are doing the same, but they keep giving side looks toward Dean, probably a little freaked out by the fact that he’s casually hanging out in their room.

There’s only a few people who know who Sam is outside of his father and brother. There’s Bobby, the research teacher who agreed to look after Sam whenever he was left alone, and the director of the Coven, Sirena Nox, who went to their house a few times. He suspects his dad and her may be having an affair, but he knows better than to say it to Dean. If that’s the case, his brother knows it already.

So yeah, only a few people can recognize Sam. But Dean? Dean is known everywhere he goes. It’s isn't just that he has been in the Coven for four years already. The strength of his powers and his insane good looks have also made him down right famous.

“So your room is just next to ours?” Sam asks, putting his clothes in his drawers.

“Yep. And my bed is on the same wall as yours so if you need something, just knock and I’ll hear you.”

Sam can’t help but smile, his cheeks turning a light red at Dean's confession. He knows it's stupid, but knowing that Dean specifically asked to have the room right next to his fills him with happiness. It reminds him that Dean isn’t going anywhere, and that he never stops thinking about him.

“But I’ll hear you if you jerk off so don’t.”

“Shut up!” Sam laughs, throwing the clothes he has in his hands at Dean. “I’m not doing that!”

“Just saying Sammy! I don’t want to wake up to you moaning or banging the wall.”

“You’re such a dick,” he says, rolling his eyes. “Don’t you have anything better to do?”

“Something better than messing with you? I don’t think that’s possible.” He gets up from the bed, ruffling Sam’s hair as soon as he’s next to him, ignoring Sam's complaints. “But I do have other things to do so I’ll see you later.”

“For lunch maybe?” Sam asks, a little hopeful. He doesn’t want to ask for Dean to keep them a spot at his table, so he prays that a little suggestion will make Dean understand.

“I’ll keep a spot for the three of you.” He winks before turning toward the twin. “Love your shirt, Max.”

Max looks down at his shirt, a wide smile appearing on his face as he does so. Sam wants to roll his eyes, but he knows that it must be cool to have a compliment from someone as popular as Dean. Truth be told, he always smiles like Max whenever Dean pays him a compliment. The reasons are different, but still.

“Your brother is so cool,” Max says once Dean is out.

“He wishes,” Sam replies as he pushes his now empty bag under his bed. “Come on, the first class is about to start.” 

~

The Coven is here for different reasons.

The first and most important one is that it helps witches learn to control their powers. It teaches them how not to kill anyone accidentally, but also how to use their powers for good.

It also allows them to learn magic, not just the physical kind but how to do spells and potions.  Students learn how to to identify the plants that are good and the one that could kill you.

It teaches them how to do research, which is far more important than just memorizing spells or how to mix potions.

It reminds them of their history, of the reasons why they’re here, of the women and men who fought for them, of the souls that suffered for them.

It prepares them, too, for the future. When the Coven was made, it was one big structure, with nothing around. Now, it’s an entire city, with stores, businesses, restaurants, and all of the others things that make it more than just a Coven.  Its a community, a society.

Sam doesn’t plan on working in the magic world, or even staying in it. In his head, he will wait until he's eighteen, then go to a normal college. It will last a couple of years, during which he plans on going home every weekend, or maybe even have Dean comes and live with him,  though he doubts his brother will agree on the last one. Then, once he graduates, he will find a job close enough to the portal so Dean will be able to live with him while working in the magic world.

Now, the last part is settled. He talked about it with Dean, and even if Dean still thinks that Sam is gonna change his mind about working in the magic world, he agreed that they will end up living together, no matter what.

That’s why Sam finds it hard to have any motivation for the classes they have.

The first class is basic spells with Miss Rowena, a red haired woman that Sam finds himself liking a lot. Sure, the class is boring as hell considering he already learned all those spells with Dean when Dean was in his first year, but he still doesn’t find it awful either. The teacher is funny and puts Brad in his place when he tries to be a smart ass.

After that is history class with Mr. Knotley, and Sam is torn between boredom and embarrassment. Witch history is mostly, if not all, about his family, and once the teacher realizes who Sam is, he won’t stop looking at him.

They have a third class; horticulture with Miss White, who Sam's almost sure is high as hell. Which sadly doesn’t make the hour pass faster.

“It’s just the beginning,” Max says. “I mean, we only have one hour of each, it’s not enough to form an opinion of them. Plus, we still have three other classes.”

“Yeah, it was just an introduction. They said that after tomorrow, we’ll have three hours of the same class. I think it’s better that way.”

“I disagree,” Sam says with a grimace. “Three hours with Miss White? She can’t even finish a sentence.”

“True,” Alicia says. “But at least this afternoon will be fun!”

“I’m so excited! I heard it’s the best class ever. Like. Ever.”

Sam gives them a little smile, not wanting to get into the conversation. While the morning is made for “intellectual” classes, the afternoon is reserved for practice. It means training, not only with their powers but also with their minds and their bodies; it means fighting each other, getting locked in a box and finding a way out. He can see why the others think it’s a cool class, but it’s not for him, not when he’s already been doing that since he was a child, nor when his father is their teacher.

But his worries about this afternoon are gone as soon as he spots Dean in the lunch room, a huge smile spreading on his face.

He hurries to take his meal tray, not even looking at what is being put on it, before running to Dean’s table.

“So? How was it?” Dean asks before Sam even had time to sit.

“Boring,” he answers with a sigh. “I can’t do this for what? Four years?”

“I did it so you can do it too.”

“It’s differen,t” Sam mumbles. “You love it. I don’t.”

Dean smiles sadly, to which Sam answer by dropping his head, refusing to see the pity on his brother’s face.

He starts eating, pushing the food down his throat without even taking time to taste it, simply wanting this day to finish as quick as possible.

He feels Dean slowly sliding closer to him until their legs are touching, a silent support that Sam welcomes happily.

“It will be fine. Don’t you worry, Sammy.”

“I’ve got class with dad this afternoon,” he whispers, not wanting the others to hear him.

Max and Alicia are deep in a conversation with some of Dean’s friends, and he doesn’t want them to stop. It’s like they’re in another world, Dean and him, sitting at the same table as everyone, yet only together, no one talking to them or seeing them, and Sam allows himself to relax in the familiarity of it.

“It’s the exact same training that he makes us do,” Dean says.

“Yeah, except that he’ll ask us to focus on our powers. Which I don’t have.”

“You know that you’re not the only one not to have powers, right? There’s a few witches that don’t have powers either, and it doesn’t make them less of a witch.”

“You know a lot of witches without powers?” he asks, raising his eyebrows.

“Well… I mean, I’ve met one.”

“You’re such a liar!” Sam says, kicking Dean’s shoulder.

“I’m not a liar! I’m trying to comfort you!”

“By lying!”

“Not completely. I did meet one witch like that one day. So that’s not a complete lie.”

“Whatever,” Sam answers with a roll of eyes. “We have to go. See you at dinner?”

“We have a party tonight, so I won’t be there.”

“Oh.” he says, trying to hide his disappointment. He really thought that being here meant that he and Dean would see each other more, at least twice a day. But he gets it. Dean has friends, and he’s been here for four years already, he owns the right to have his own life.

“Ok, well tomorrow then.”

“You want to come to the party? I’m sure they won’t mind.”

“No, it’s fine, don’t worry.”

“Alright then.” Dean smiles, bumping his shoulder on Sam’s. “Kick their ass alright?”

“Will do.”

Max and Alicia get up at the same time as him, taking their trays to stack them next to the trashcan. The class doesn't start for twenty minutes, but he'd rather get there early.

“It’s gonna be fine,” Max says, apparently feeling Sam distress. “I mean, how bad can it go?”


	3. Chapter 3

Sam remembers Dean's first day in the Coven perfectly. For the first time in what felt like years, their dad was there when they woke up, a breakfast waiting on the table for them to eat. After that, Dean took the bus while Sam and their dad drove in John’s car to the Coven. Sam was even allowed to pick the music. It was the first time Sam had gone to the Coven, but their dad had insisted that he should sit in on Dean's first physical magic training class.

At the time, Sam felt special. There was no other kids there, no one else had the right to come but him, and he stood proudly next to his father, overwhelmed by happiness. He watched Dean fight, again and again; his brother never stopping for one moment, bolstered by Sam’s screams of encouragement. When it was over, Dean had come and picked him up off the floor, hugging him so tight that Sam thought they'd get stuck that way.  And when he voiced it out loud, their dad simply laughed, loud and deep. Sam couldn’t remember a time his dad had laughed at one of his jokes.

It was such a perfect day that he thought he'd dreamed it the next morning.

For a long time, he couldn’t figure out why his dad had took him that day. Was it for Dean? To show his youngest son that his brother wasn’t in danger? To maybe make the break up easier for both of them? It didn’t sound like their dad. He always thought that the best way to overcome fear was to fight it, so why did he take him that day?

The answer never came to Sam, but right now, he thinks he knows.

It wasn’t about making him less afraid of the separation from Dean. Nor was it out of pride or love.

His dad was building Sam’s own training.

Sam had stood there for Dean’s first training class, cheering him on, encouraging him, motivating him, giving him a reason not to give up, because John knew already back then that Dean's reason to fight was Sam. Maybe, John wanted to put Sam in danger, too. By putting him in that room, full of young witches fighting, he knew that Dean would be scared for his brother, which would lead to him to fighting harder. He knew that if he wanted Dean to succeed, to win, he had to put the thing he loved the most in the world right in front of him, to remind him who he was fighting for.

No one is standing in front of Sam.

No one is screaming his name, no one is encouraging him, and he knows that no one will take him in his arms once it’s over.

John wanted to show him the difference between them. He wanted Sam to see that while someone was there for Dean, no one is there for him.

Isn’t that Sam's biggest fear? To be left alone? For his Dean not to be there anymore?

“Faster, goddamnit!” his father yells, for what seems to be the hundredth time already.

Sam knows his father isn’t talking to him. They’re doing a climbing race, and Sam is in front of everyone, going at least twice as fast as the others, but hearing his father’s voice makes him try to go even faster.

“Shit!” he hears Max whisper from somewhere below him.

He stops climbing, trying to locate his friend. The wall they have to climb is full of brambles, thorns and branches that make it impossible to see where you put your hands and feet. Getting stuck on it is pretty easy, and that’s apparently what has happened to Max.

“You need help?” Sam yells to him.

“I don’t—I don’t know, my foot is stuck, I can’t get it out!” 

“Sam, keep moving!” his father orders him.

Sam looks down again, trying to find a solution. He can’t leave Max alone, he needs to help him. The second test will start in less than five minutes, and if Max doesn’t get to the top by then, he will be behind everybody during the whole session. There’s a rumor that says that the last one to finish gets hazed, and he can’t let that happen to Max.

Going down is way harder than climbing, but Sam tries his best to do it as fast as possible.

“Sam, don’t you dare do that!” his dad screams. “Climb again! Now!”

“I need to help him!”

His body wants to listen to his dad’s order and start climbing again, but he refuses to leave Max alone. He climbs down again, until he finally reaches Max.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” Max whispers. “Your dad is gonna kill you!”

“I don’t give a fuck,” Sam says, taking Max’s foot out of where it’s stuck. “Come on, we still can do it.”

They start climbing together again, Sam being careful not to go too fast so he won’t leave Max behind. He doesn’t need to look at his father to see how angry he is. He can almost feel his eyes burning a hole on the back of his head, probably cursing him for being such an idiot.

They finally reach the top, way after everybody else. Alicia was one of the first ones to reach the top, being way more agile than her twin, but the fact that she won’t even look at them tells Sam that she must feel guilty for not helping her brother out.

“Sir, what do we do now?” Brad asks, apparently not afraid of how angry John looks.

“You were supposed to do a running race but we’re gonna skip that. Stand up and find yourself a partner.”

Rationally, Sam knows that his dad wouldn’t do something that could hurt him or the other students. But the way he looks at him, his eyes dark with anger and his jaw clenched, makes him doubt everything he believes in.

“You’re gonna use your power and try to defeat your partner.”

No. He can’t do that, not right now. They’re not supposed to start using their powers before the fifth session, that’s what is written in the program. They can’t start now, he can’t do that.

“But what if we hurt each other?” someone asks behind Sam.

“I’ll do a spell so you won’t get hurt too bad.”

“Too bad?” Alicia says. “So we still can get hurt?”

“That will serve as a motivation.”

There’s a few gasps among the students, some finding the new exercise awesome while others are starting to freak out. Some witch powers are more mental than physical, which can make it difficult for them to fight, but not impossible. Even the ones who don’t have anything else but vision can easily win, if they succeed in predicting what their adversary is about to do.

But Sam can’t do that. He can’t predict the other’s moves, can’t throw things at his face, can’t fly, can’t get super strong, can’t even detect how dangerous the witch in front of him is like one of the girls in his class can do. He can’t do any of these things, but Max is already in front of him, ready to attack.

“You can start,” his father says, standing back so as not to disturb them.

There’s a knot forming in Sam’s stomach, ready to explode at any time. He can’t do it, but he doesn’t want the others to know. What will happen to him, if they find out he’s not even a witch? What if he gets hurt? No. He doesn’t want to get hurt. He doesn’t want to fight. He wants to run away to Dean and never leave his side again.

Why can’t it be like that? Just Dean and him, with no one else around. There’s no point to him being here. He doesn’t need to know how to defend himself if he always stays with Dean anyway.

“What’s your power?” he asks to Max, his throat tight with anxiety.

Max smirks before putting his hands together, a blue light coming out of them and growing as he pulls his hands apart.

“Electricity,” he says. “Ready?”

Sam doesn’t have time to reply before the first blow of electricity hits him, his body falling on the floor with the force of it.

It’s like his heart has stopped. Like the world around him is crushing him, pushing him into the floor with no chance to get up. The electricity goes from his fingers to his toes, passing through each one of his muscles, his nerves and his veins.

It burns from the inside, like his skin is suddenly too hot for him, too hot for his body. He wants to get out of it, he needs to get out of it. Can’t someone help him? Why is no one helping him? It hurts, it hurts and he wants it stop!

“Sam! Are you alright?” Max asks, running to him.

“Leave him. He won’t die,” His father says. “This is what true combat looks like. This is what is waiting outside these walls. No one will come to see if you’re ok. So you get up and you fight, unless you want to die.”

“I didn’t mean to hurt you,” Max says, not sure if he should touch Sam or not.

Tears form in Sam’s eyes when he hears his father’s words, but he forces himself to hold them back. Once the initial shock passes, he starts breathing correctly again, slowly gaining control over his body.

“You’re ok?” Max asks.

He nods, not trusting his voice to speak out loud.

“I’m sorry, I just—I assumed your powers were strong considering who you are, I—I should have asked you. I’m sorry.”

“It’s ok, Max. I’m not mad.”

“Why didn’t you fight back?” Brad asks, coming over to Sam. “His powers are strong but they were poorly used. Even a new witch could have fought back. Why didn’t you?”

He can feel several pair of eyes on him, waiting for him to answer. Even Max is staring at him, probably wanting to know the answer too.

“You don’t have any,” Brad realizes, a wide smile spreading on his face. “Heir to one of the two biggest families, and you don’t even have powers.”

Sam dropped his head down, refusing to see the pity and mockery in the others’ faces. Holding his tears in is harder this time, and he bites hard on his cheek to prevent himself from making any sounds.

But it doesn’t feel like he expected it to. It’s like it’s not happening to him, like he’s watching the scene from outside himself, looking at someone else getting humiliated in public, by their own father. Like his soul has left his body, leaving an empty shell on the floor.

“The training isn’t done,” his dad says. “Start again.”

“Shouldn’t we take Sam to the nurse?” Max asks, a little concerned.

“No, he’ll be fine. Start fighting again.”

“I don’t want to,” Sam mumbles, trying to get over the humiliation.

“You don’t want to what?”

“To fight.”

“I mean, it’s not like you can,” Brad laughs.

Sam closes his eyes, refusing to give Brad the satisfaction of seeing him hurt. What the fuck is wrong with him? Why is he acting like that with him?

“I gave you an order earlier and you didn’t follow it. Now, you’re making a request, and I won’t grant it.”

“I want to go! It hurts, and you can’t force me to stay if I don’t want to.”

“I’m your teacher. I do whatever I want, and right now, I want you to fight.”

“Teachers don’t force their students.”

“But fathers do, and I say fight, so you fight. Now!”

Sam pushes himself to his feet, using the wall as a support, and waits patiently for the rest of the instructions. He could run. Easily. But it wouldn't be a solution. His father would either stop him before he reached the door, or would catch him later. He would be even more humiliated, and he doesn’t want that.

So he stays quietly and does what his father tells him to.

Of course, the next one to fight against him is Brad, a smirk on his face as he positioned himself in front of Sam.

“Ready to die, freak?”

“Don’t call me that,” Sam says, biting his lips.

“Or what? You’re gonna cry?”

“Shut up,” he says. “Just because you have powers doesn’t mean I can’t kick your ass!”

“Oh yeah? I would love to see that!”

He throws himself at Brad, not giving him any time to use his power. Maybe he’s not a witch, but he does know how to defend himself.

He starts throwing punches, letting out his anger over being here; over being forced into this stupid school, with stupid students and his stupid father.

Someone is pulling him away from Brad, but he tries to resist, to keep hitting him until there’s nothing left of his stupid face.

“Sam, enough!” his father yells, holding him in the air like he weighs nothing, “The fuck is wrong with you, boy?”

“He—”

“I don’t care. I’m not here to deal with your stupid ass. Go to the director's office.”

“Sir—”

“You too, Brad. And don’t make me say it again.”

Sam is put on the floor again, feeling even more humiliated and angry than earlier. His dad knows he was the one doing that. That he’s the reason why Sam reacted that way, but Sam is still the one who will get punished.

What will they do? Suspend him? Expel him? It would make him happier than anything else.

“This is all your fault,” Brad groans as they make their way toward the director's office. “It’s not my fault if you’re not even a witch.”

“Whatever,” Sam sighs, wishing that he had hit Brad harder so he couldn’t talk.

“Stupid freak.”

“Stop calling me that!” he says, “I’m not a freak.”

“Yes, you are!”

“No, I—” He clenches his fists, trying to hold himself back. It’s fine. Everything is fine. Brad is just another stupid boy. Nothing more, nothing less. “Let’s get it over with.”

 

~

One week of cleaning. That’s all they got. Two hours of cleaning whatever room they get assigned together. No one voiced it out loud, but they both know that the reason they didn’t get anything worse is because of Sam’s family name. Also because his dad is in a relationship with the director, but Brad doesn’t know that.

They both had to apologize to each other, Brad adding a quiet “freak” after his.

Of course Sam didn’t answer. He knows that he’s the guilty one. He was the first to hit Brad, and nothing should excuse that.

It doesn’t mean it makes it easy or that it make his anger disappear.

He almost runs to his room, ignoring the bell announcing dinner time, and he throws himself on his bed, curling in a ball to hide from the world. The tears finally start to run down his face, his mind dizzy from all that has happened.

It’s not fair. None of this is fair, he doesn’t like this place, doesn’t like the people here, doesn’t like anything, and he just wants to go home, to go to a normal school and to never hear of magic again. He feels awful. Like something is boiling inside of him, ready to explode, and all he can think about is how much he wishes Dean was here.

He forces himself to turn around and reach under his bed, taking out his bag and opening it. He takes out the sweat shirt he'd hidden inside earlier and puts it on.

Dean isn’t here right now, but this will do.

When he was packing his bag to come here, he spent a long time wondering if he should take it or not. How could he explain why he has one of his brother’s sweatshirts in his bag? It was dumb, and he almost didn’t bring it.

He’s so glad he did now.

He starts crying harder, his nose hidden in the fabric, trying to breathe in what’s left of Dean’s scent, to take all the comfort he can from it.

He stops when he hears someone pushing their keys in the door. Has he been here for that long? He thought dinner would be longer.

He closes his eyes, pretending to sleep so he won’t have to face Max and Alicia, but the footsteps are getting louder as the person walks toward his bed.

Who’s there? And what should he do? What if it’s Brad and he has to fight with him again? No one will believe him.

“Hush, baby brother, it’s just me.”

Dean.

He turns his head so he can look, and sure enough, his brother is in front of him, taking his shoes and jacket off.

“What are you doing here?” he asks, pushing the tears away from his eyes.

“Scoot over.”

Sam does as he’s told, moving a little so there’s room for Dean. His brother slides under the covers, his arms moving to hold Sam immediately, pulling him as close as possible.

Sam closes his eyes, savoring the familiar smell, the feeling of being loved and protected, and slowly, the thing inside of him goes quiet, until he can’t feel it anymore. Dean is here. Nothing bad can happen.

“Sorry I couldn’t come earlier,” Dean says. “The party wasn’t in the Coven, but I came as fast as I could.”

“Dad told you?”

“No one told me. I knew.” He pushes his face into Sam’s hair, dropping a kiss on it. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there.”

“You don’t have to be sorry, Dean. I’m not a baby anymore. I can handle things on my own.”

He can feel Dean smiling behind him, and any anger that was still left inside disappears completely.

“You’ll always be my baby. No matter how old or how tall you are.”

Sam turns around until he’s facing Dean, his brother’s arms still around him.

“It wasn’t my fault. I mean, what happened during the training. It wasn’t my fault.”

“I know,” Dean replies, pushing Sam’s hair behind his ear. “I should have known that dad would do something like that.”

“Not your fault neither.”

Dean smiles before putting his lips against Sam’s forehead, giving the same magic kiss he used to give him when he was younger.

“Do you want me to heal you old school or like a witch?”

“Heal me?” He frowns, not sure he gets it. Were his organs harmed during the electrocution?

“Your nose; its bleeding.”

Sam raises his hand to his nose, touching the wet substance with his fingers.

“If you want to stay like that it’s cool too, but that’s my favorite sweatshirt so I’ll have to kill you if you get blood on it.”

“No, it’s just—Brad must have hit me during our fight. I didn’t realize.”

“Sometimes you don’t realize it with adrenaline and all that.”

“Yeah, I guess,” he whispers, not sure if he believes it or not. He’s almost sure he saw his reflection in the director’s office, and there wasn’t any blood on his face.

“Old school,” he finally says.

“You’ve got it.”

Dean gets up and comes back with a bunch of tissues and water before starting to clean Sam’s face. How can Dean believe him when he says he’s not a baby if he lets him clean his face?

“Nothing to do with being a baby,” Dean says. “People of every age still let their mom clean their faces, don’t they?”

“Yeah, but we’re brothers.”

“We’re more than brothers,” he says, a smile appearing on his face. “We’re also best friends, and each other’s mom and dad, and we’re… I don’t know, Sammy, we’re just everything. Together. You take care of me as much as I take care of you.”

Sam feels a light blush spreading on his face, that he quickly pushes away by calling Dean a jerk, which earns him a gentle punch on the shoulder. A part of him feels terrible that Dean had to leave his party early because of him, but the biggest part knows that he won’t make it without Dean here.

Once Dean is done cleaning him, they both lay down again, face to face, one of Dean’s arm around his waist while the other is rubbing his hair softly, forcing Sam’s eyes to close.

“One month,” Dean whispers, “do one month here, and if you still wanna leave after that, you can.”

“Dad won’t agree.”

“I’ll deal with dad. Just—Can you try? For me?”

“Yes, Dean,” he says, trying very hard to hold back his happiness. “For you.”

“That’s my boy,” Dean laughs, ruffing his hair. “Now go to sleep. You look like crap.”

“Can you stay?” he asks, a little too fast. He doesn’t want to be alone again at all, much less alone for the night.

“Didn’t plan on leaving.”

He lets out a breath of relief before nestling against Dean’s chest, his brother’s heartbeat against his ear.

“Night jerk,” He whispers, already falling asleep.

“Night bitch.”

One month. Only one month and then he can leave.

 

                                                                 [](https://ibb.co/LnsqPsK)


	4. Chapter 4

If Sam thought the first day at the Coven was bad, it’s nothing compared to the next three weeks.

He doesn’t fight with anyone again, but no one wants to pair with him during the afternoon class. Nor during the other classes either.

After what happened, Max starts to become distant, and Sam is still unsure if it’s due to guilt or if he doesn’t want to hang out with a freak like him. Now, all they do is sleep in the same room and exchange one or two words from time to time.

Alicia is still nice to him, maybe even more than what he expected. She confesses that she doesn’t have any powers either, probably due to the fact that unlike most of the students here, one of their parents isn't a witch, their dad being a mortal. But she still chooses to stay with her brother during classes, and for that Sam can’t blame her. If Dean was in his classes, he would stay with him too, no matter who else is with him.

He hates to admit it, but the classes aren’t as bad as he thought. Sure, he spends all his afternoon sitting on the floor since no one wants to pair with him, but the rest of the classes are actually pretty good. He loves the history, the research, the spell work, and even the one about plants, their weird teacher aside.

But he still feels like he’s wasting his time, and that’s what he will tell Dean next week.

“You’re naked?” Dean yells from behind the door.

“Yeah, that’s why I asked you to come.” He rolls his eyes, opening the door.

“Don’t be a bitch, at least I asked.”

Sam is really tempted to roll his eyes again, but he doesn’t want to piss Dean off right now. They’re having this big and useless dinner, where all students and teachers have to go, and where fancy clothes are required. Each class has its own colors, and in Sam’s case, it’s purple.

“So? What do you think?” he asks, shifting awkwardly from one foot to the other. He’s wearing a two-piece suit, but he adds a vest under his jacket, going along with Dean’s idea. Wearing a suit is bad enough, but having a dark purple one is even worse. Why can’t he just pretend to be sick and stay in his room? Maybe if he begs Dean enough, he’ll allow him to do so?

“Don’t even think of it,” Dean warns him.

“Don’t read my mind!”

“I don’t need to read your mind, it’s written all over your face,” He laughs, pushing his hand on Sam’s face, ignoring the way his brother fights under it.

“You’re such a jerk,” he sighs. “I don’t want to go.”

“It’s gonna be great.”

“No, it won’t.”

“Yeah it will. We’re gonna eat, listen to one or two speeches, eat again, and then that’s it.”

“But I look ridiculous,” he pouts out.

“Nah, you look awesome,” Dean says, putting his hand in his pocket and taking a black tie out of it, the same color as his own suit.

Sam is a little perplexed but he doesn’t say anything, simply lets Dean slide and knot the tie around his neck. 

“Even better like that,” he winks, putting his hands in his front jacket pocket and lifting a purple tissue out of it. “Now we both look awesome.”

The fact that he’s wearing a tie doesn’t change a lot about his outfit, but knowing that Dean and him are matching, each of them wearing a piece of the other’s outfit, is enough to make him feel better about himself.

“Can I eat at your table?”

“Sure. But you need to have your class next to you.”

“Can’t they make an exception?”

“They’re already making an exception by putting our two classes next to each other.”

“They did?” He frowns, brushing his hair on the side.

“Yeah, told them I wouldn’t come otherwise.”

“Wait, we don’t have to go?”

“No, I don’t have to. You? You don’t have much choice.”

“It sucks.”

“You suck,” Dean mumbles, to which Sam rolls his eyes. “You ready?”

“Yeah,” Sam breathe out, giving one last look at himself in the mirror.

“Let’s go then.”

 

~

Dean’s head is held up by his hand, his eyes almost closed as he tries to listen to the way-too-long speech from the director, while Sam is softly blowing on his neck, wondering how long it will take for Dean to feel it.

“This is so boring,” Alicia whispers. “I thought we were gonna eat?”

“Yeah, that’s what I was promised,” Sam replies, throwing a hard look toward Dean.

“It’s not my fault!” Dean defends himself. “How could I know it would be this boring?”

“Can’t you read people minds?”

“Well yeah, but I respect others’ privacy.”

“That’s such a lie!”

Dean frowns before taking a piece of bread and pushing it in Sam’s mouth.

“Dean!” Sam whispers-yells. “You’re such a dick!”

“So are you, princess.”

Sam rolls his eyes with a sigh, letting his head fall on his hand. He has no idea what the director is talking about, something along the lines of the importance of being a good witch, but suddenly, he hears Dean’s name being announced.

“The fuck?” Dean whispers, turning toward Sam as if he has the answer.

“They want you to do a demonstration,” Max says, his first words for them since the beginning of the dinner.

“Jesus fucking—” he sighs, getting up from his chair and putting a smile on his face as he walks toward the scene.

The easiness with which Dean goes from angry to fake-happy terrifies Sam as much as it impresses him. He watches Dean getting up in front of maybe 500 students and 10 teachers, a bright smile on his face as he starts to joke with some of the crowd.

“I could never do that,” Alicia says. “Walking up in front of everyone? Just thinking about it gives me anxiety.”

“Don’t worry about that, only witches gets to do it,” Brad adds with a loud laugh, making sure that all of his friends heard him.

“Leave her alone,” Max warns him, “or I’ll make you.”

Brad pretends to laugh again but he doesn’t say anything, and Sam can see the quick wave of fear on his face. He can’t blame him, Max's powers are pretty incredible, and he wouldn’t want to make him angry.

“You’ve got a problem, Winchester?” Brad asks, a little harshly. Apparently, he noticed Sam staring at him.

“I—”

“You leave him alone, too,” Max says.

Sam turns toward Max, a bit in shock. He didn’t think Max would defend him, left alone against stupid-head Brad.

They smile at each other, a light blush spreading on both of their faces.

They put their attention back on Dean. His powers are getting stronger by the second. It starts with some blue light coming out of his hands and doing nothing else but lighting up the room. But quickly, some dishes start flying in the air, soaring over everyone, turning back and settling, all guided by Dean's hands. It’s beautiful, truly, and Sam is so fascinated by it that his mouth falls back open.

It’s a dance of blue, light, life, and amazement. Part of Dean’s power is also to appease people around it, and right now, that’s exactly what it’s doing.

Sam is the first one to notice the flowers growing at Dean’s feet, but he can quickly see the look of surprise from the teachers and students. This isn’t new, not for Sam. He remembers being eight and crying because someone stepped on the flower he attempted to offer Dean after picking it at school. Dean had took it in his hands, blew on it, and next thing Sam knew, it was coming back to life, even more beautiful than before

The power of life is unique, and Dean hasn’t talked about or used it for a long, long time, with that one exception for Sam’s flower. But now, he’s showing it in front of everyone, and a wave of pride hits Sam because this is Dean, his big brother, stunning people with his power.

He wonders how strong Dean will be. His powers don’t seem to stop growing, getting more powerful every year.

The light starts shaking, but Sam simply thinks it’s Dean doing it, until he notices the frown on his brother’s face.

The wind starts to raise up, hitting the windows harder every second.

“Is your brother doing that?” Alicia whispers.

“No, I don’t think so.”

Dean is talking to the director, probably asking her what is happening, but she simply tells him to keep going, apparently not as worried as the students.

Sam starts to relax again, enjoying watching his brother, when the big door at the end of the room slams open.

The background music stops and the dishes are lowered down to the tables right away. The blue light disappears as everyone turns toward the door, waiting to see what it is.

They don’t see anything at first, but they all hold their breath, afraid of what is happening.

“Now, now, it’s nothing but the wind,” the director says, a smile on her face as she starts walking to the door.

Even through the director said it was nothing, there’s a weird feeling growing inside of Sam’s stomach, and for the first time maybe, he wishes their dad was here. As much as he hates him most of the time, his dad is still strong, and he knows dark magic and monsters better than anyone does.

“Sammy,” Dean says from his place, “come here.”

“What?” Sam frowns, not sure he’s understanding. There’s a couple of eyes turning toward him but the vast majority are still staring at the door, waiting for the director to close it.

“Come here! Now!” Dean yells, starting to run toward Sam.

He doesn’t have time to reach him, because next thing Sam knows, his brother is pushed in the air and thrown against the wall.

“Dean!” He screams, trying to get up.

But he can’t move. His whole body is frozen on his chair, his hands glued to the table and his feet stuck on the floor. He can only move his head, discovering with horror that he’s not the only one in this situation.

“What a beautiful bunch of witches we’ve got here,” a male voice says from the doorway.

Sam wants to move, to run and go to Dean, but he can’t do anything except look at the man who’s entering the room.

He’s tall, taller than anyone here, but his size isn’t the scariest thing about him. Half of his face is completely burned, looking like it’s still melting, his eye barely clinging to its socket. He searches for Dean in the room, a grin appearing on his face when he finds him, pinned on the wall.

“Dean, Dean, Dean,” the man sings, “it’s been so long, my boy.”

“I don’t know you,” Dean says between tight teeth.

Sam wants to speak, but his lips are sealed too. Who is this man? What does he want from Dean?

“No, but I saw you, when you were little. Cute little child that you were,” the man smiles, almost nostalgic, and a wave of disgust hits Sam. “I heard about your powers, too. Pretty impressive.”

“Is this gonna go all night? I kind of have others things to do.”

“Oh Dean, what a big mouth you have here. Reminds me of your mother.”

“Don’t talk about her!” Dean screams, and Sam can see him trying to move. But the man, whoever he is, is too strong, even for him.

“Why not? She was a remarkable woman. Really. What she did… I mean, have you see my face? Only a strong woman could do that.”

Why would their mom have anything to do with his face? What is happening?

Sam is starting to go crazy. He needs to move, now! Dean is in danger! He needs him!

“But I’m not here for you, Dean. Well, not completely. See, I made a… pact, with your families, a long time ago. It all started with Felicia, and her monstrous child. I’m telling you, I’ve seen awful things in my life, but this kid? Hell, it was something. Hector summoned me, asking for power and eternal life, in exchange for which I could have not only his grandson's soul, but also the souls of as many of his heirs as I wished. You know, I wasn’t greedy, I took one here, another there.  Quietly so no one questioned it too much. Just a poor cursed family. Well, you know that.

“But see, I was supposed to take Mary’s son's soul. I thought about you. You were powerful, even as a baby, but there was a little voice in my head telling me to wait. That something bigger was coming. So I did. And boy, was I not disappointed.

“Your baby brother’s soul. Yes, I know Dean, he’s precious, isn’t he? I can feel the love you have for him. So strong. Your mom loved him, too.

“You know, I went to his room that night, ready to take it. Such a small and pure baby. But your stupid mother came in the room, and she tried to fight me. She used her goddamn powers on me, but I put her on the ceiling, just as I’m doing with you right now.  I started to strangle her, I could see her soul leaving her body, not a sound getting out of her throat as I keep squeezing and squeezing, her eyes rolling up as I did.

“Then Sam. Sweet six months old Sammy. What he did…. I would have fought him back, you know? But I thought, no, I’ll leave him for now. Come back later, more prepared, but your stupid mom. Your fucking stupid mom. She put a spell on him, last thing she ever did, and I can’t see him, can’t feel him or his powers. I wondered if he was still alive. Maybe he died? He was in the fire for so long. But I never stopped looking. Never. Your father, he’s a hell of a man, too, you know? He kept you protected, too. I thought you were with the mortals, that you left a long time ago. I kept getting signals about your powers from every part of the globe, only to find nothing. Emptiness.

“But last week, I was in a bar, minding my own business, when I heard someone mentioning you and your brother’s names. So here I am, to take what is rightfully mine.

“So Dean, I will ask you once and only once. Where, the fuck, is your brother?”

“Go. Fuck. Yourself,” Dean articulates, apparently not even a little scared about what he just learned.

But Sam is freaking out. It’s like his skin is burning, like everything is too hot for him, the knot in his stomach growing bigger and bigger. The man wants him. Him. He killed his mother, why wouldn’t he do the same to Dean?

He can’t lose Dean. He can’t lose him; he’d rather die than live without Dean.

He wants to scream that he is here, that it’s him. The man has no idea what he looks like, but if he tells him, it will all be over. Why can’t he move? He needs to move!

A cry from Dean gets his attention. His brother’s face is turning white, his lips open as he tries to get some air, and Sam doesn’t understand it at first, until he sees the traces of purple around his neck.

He’s killing him.

This monster is killing him.

He can see Dean looking at him, just enough for Sam to know, but not enough for anyone else to notice. He can see the love in Dean’s eyes, but also the apology, like he did something wrong, and Sam wants to yell that he didn’t, he never did anything wrong, not once.

He faces the monster again, only now noticing his bright yellow eyes, and he suddenly remembers them. Those yellows eyes, buried deep down in the back of his mind.

He won’t let Dean die.

He tries to fight back, stronger this time. He focuses on his hands, trying to move his fingers at first, then his toes. He screams from deep down in his throat, even though no one can hear him.

He thinks about that time he fell out of their dad’s truck while wearing a superman costume, and how Dean drove him to the hospital on his bike.

He thinks about Dean’s encouraging smile as he watched Sam getting his first kiss, and the way he cheered him up when it didn’t work out.

He thinks of long nights spent on the car, looking at the stars and trying to guess which group of them looked the most like Dean’s freckles.

He thinks about Dean cooking his favorite meal, helping him doing his homework, giving him a bath and reading him bedtime stories.

He thinks of Dean's bright smile, of his stupid jokes that are never funny but still never fail to make Sam laugh.

He thinks about himself crying because he doesn’t have a mom, and he doesn’t really have a dad either, but then Dean reminds him that he has an awesome big brother, and that not a lot of kids have that.

He thinks about one late night, when their dad took Sam in his arms and told him that they were the most precious things in his life. That he only wanted to protect them, always.

He thinks about his first steps, right toward Dean, before falling on the floor only to be picked up by Dean.

He thinks about that night his mom died, strangled to death by a man with yellow eyes, before being burned.

Burned.

He did that. He burned this monster face, he saved Dean back then. He’ll save him today, too.

“No!” he screams, finally getting up from his chair and holding out his hands in the monster's direction.

The knot in his stomach explodes, revealing itself as bright, hot flames; the windows blowing up with the force of Sam’s anger. The whole room starts shaking, but Sam is too far gone to care. He doesn’t stop burning the monster, not until there’s black smoke leaving his body and flying to the windows.

But Sam won’t stop. Years and years of holding his powers back did that to him, made him thirsty for revenge. All the humiliation, all the guilt and the pain. It’s all going down now.

There’s a pair of arms securing his waist, and Sam recognizes them right away.

“Dean” He whispers, slowly stopping the fire.

“Hush, Sammy, I’m here. It’s all good now, you can stop.”

It’s not easy to do, his mind and body trying to fight each other and have him keep going, but eventually, he manages to stop, and turns toward Dean, falling into his arms.

Everybody is staring at him, except for three teachers who are trying to kill the fire, but Sam doesn’t notice any of them. All he cares about is Dean.

“Dean, I—I didn’t—Are you alright?”

“Yes,” Dean says, putting his forehead against Sam’s, “I’m alright. Very much alright.”

Sam exhales, relief spreading through him, and he lets his body fall completely into Dean’s arms, not supporting himself at all anymore. The last thing he hears is Dean calling his name.

 

~

Sam wakes up to the smell of pancakes and bacon, his stomach gurgling with hunger.

“Easy, sleeping beauty,” Dean says, putting his hand on Sam’s shoulder.

“Dean? Where am I?” He frowns, looking around him.

“We’re home. You’ve been sleeping for one whole ass day.”

“Sleeping? But the Grand Coven, I—”

“Do you remember? What happened during the dinner?”

“I—Yeah. Yeah I do,” he says, his mind getting less dizzy. “He—He hurt you! Are you alright? Did you get taken care of?”

“Yeah, I’m good Sammy, don’t worry about me,” Dean says with a smile. He gets up from the chair and slides onto the bed next to him.

Sam nestles himself in Dean’s arms, still too tired to do anything else.

“Dad is here,” Dean says. “He took the whole day off to look after us. Can you believe that?”

“Is he angry?”

“Of course not. He’s proud of you. Scared, too, I think. He knew for years, you know? About the deal that Hector made. About this… Demon, wanting you.”

“That’s why he made us do all this training,” Sam says, clicking things together.

“Yeah. He didn’t know about your powers, through.”

“He’s still an ass,” Sam says. “He could have done things differently, could have—”

“Hey now, calm down. We’re not talking about dad right now, ok? You eat, you rest, and you get better. That’s all I’m asking.”

“I’ll have to go to the Grand Coven, won’t I?”

“Still your choice, Sammy. If you ask me, yeah, it’s better. Your powers… Fuck, I never seen something like that. Neither did anyone else there. You were so powerful Sam. Your eyes, they were completely dark, it’s…”

“Scary?”

“Beautiful,” Dean corrects him, “Nothing scary about you. Except for your face, but we can’t do anything about that.”

Sam laughs, a deep, loud laugh, and the weight that he was feeling disappears a little. He’s scared of himself, of how his power made him feel, how much he liked it, but Dean doesn’t think of him as anything less than his brother, and that’s all he needs.

“Powers aren’t good or bad, Sam. It’s what you do with them that defines you. You? You didn’t use them against Brad. Or against the fuckers that were messing with you back in high school. You didn’t use them against dad. You used them to save me. And that makes them good.”

“Yeah?” Sam asks, relieved.

“Yeah,” Dean adds, dropping a kiss on his head. “You’re really something, you know that?”

“Something good?”

“Something incredible, Sammy.”

They still have a lot to figure out, a lot to work on. What was the smoke that left the man’s body? Is he dead? Can he come back? How can they defeat him? What are Sam’s powers? Fire? Something else? Isn’t fire supposed to be bad? How does he control it? And so, so many other questions that Sam needs answers to.

However, there will be time for that later. Right now, he just wants to eat pancakes in front of the TV with his brother.

And maybe his dad, too. Only if sits on the other couch.

 


End file.
